The present invention relates generally to a self-service checkout terminal, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for processing a large number of items with a self-service checkout terminal.
In the retail industry, the largest expenditures are typically the cost of the goods sold followed closely by the cost of labor expended. With particular regard to the retail grocery or supermarket industry, the impetus to reduce labor costs has focused on reducing or eliminating the amount of time required to handle and/or process the items or goods to be purchased by a customer. To this end, there have been a number of self-service checkout terminal concepts developed which attempt to substantially eliminate the need for a checkout clerk.
A self-service checkout terminal is a system which is operated by a customer without the aid of a checkout clerk. What is meant herein by the term xe2x80x9ccustomerxe2x80x9d is a person who enters the retailer""s store, selects his or her items for purchase from the shopping area of the store, checks out his or her items for purchase by use of a self-service checkout terminal, tenders payment for his or her items for purchase, and then exits the store subsequent to tendering payment. Hence, as used herein, a customer is distinguished from a checkout clerk or other employee of the retailer in that a customer enters the retailer""s store for the sole purpose of purchasing items from the store.
Hence, it should be appreciated that in regard to operation of a self-service checkout terminal, the customer scans individual items for purchase across a scanner and then places the scanned items into a grocery bag, if desired. The customer then pays for his or her purchases either at the self-service checkout terminal if so equipped, or at a central payment area which is staffed by a store employee. Thus, a self-service checkout terminal permits a customer to select, itemize, and in some cases pay for his or her purchases without the assistance of the retailer""s personnel.
Heretofore designed self-checkout terminals have been designed for use as xe2x80x9ccentralizedxe2x80x9d terminals (i.e. scanning, bagging and tendering conducted at traditional store xe2x80x9cfront-endxe2x80x9d). Moreover, such terminal designs have focused primarily on xe2x80x9cexpressxe2x80x9d orders (e.g. a transaction that has, for example, fifteen or less items per transaction). Due to, for example, user (e.g. customer) arm-reach limitations and/or security issues, heretofore designed self-service checkout terminals have been configured to utilize only two or three grocery bags at a time. As such, the order size (i.e. the number of items in a given transaction) has been limited to the number of items that the customer can place into the two or three grocery bags.
In response to this drawback, a number of alternative terminal configurations have been designed. In one such configuration, the customer does not place his or her items directly into grocery bags, but rather the customer places the items onto a moving belt that takes the items to a bagging area. As such, the customer is able to itemize (i.e. scan) larger item orders. However, due to space constraints and, again, customer arm-reach issues, the customer may not complete his or her transaction by tendering payment (e.g. credit/debit card or cash payment) at such a terminal. Instead, the customer is forced to go to a separate operator paystation to complete the transaction. Such an operator paystation is typically operated by retail personnel.
Such a system has a number of drawbacks associated therewith. Firstly, operational efficiency of the system is reduced since the customer is required to perform the step of travelling to a separate location within the store to tender payment for his or her items for purchase. Secondly, since the retailer must utilize an employee to operate the paystation, certain of the goals of a self-service checkout terminal are not realized (e.g. labor reduction) since the retailer must bear the labor cost of the operator.
What is needed therefore is a self-service checkout terminal which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks. What is particularly needed is a self-service checkout terminal which allows the customer to checkout a relatively large item order without intervention from retail personnel. What is further needed is a self-service checkout terminal which allows the customer to checkout relatively large item orders and tender payment for such a large item order without intervention from retail personnel.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal includes a terminal base having (i) a user side on which a user is positioned during operation of the self-service checkout terminal, (ii) a rear side which is opposite the user side, (iii) an upstream end portion, and (iv) a downstream end portion which is opposite the upstream end portion. The self-service checkout terminal includes a scanner for scanning a product code associated with an item for purchase. The scanner is secured to the upstream end portion of the terminal base. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a printer secured to the user side of the terminal base. The self-service checkout terminal further includes an item collection surface for supporting the item for purchase subsequent to scanning thereof. The item collection surface is secured to the downstream end portion of the terminal base. Moreover, the self-service checkout terminal includes a belt assembly for transporting the item for purchase in a direction toward the item collection surface, wherein the belt assembly is interposed between the user side of the terminal base and the rear side of the terminal base.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal includes a terminal base having (i) a user side on which a user is positioned during operation of the self-service checkout terminal, and (ii) a rear side which is opposite the user side. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a scanner for scanning a product code associated with an item for purchase. The scanner is configured to be operated by the user when the user is positioned on the user side of the terminal base. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a payment device for allowing the user to tender payment for the item for purchase. The payment device is configured to be operated by the user when the user is positioned on the user side of the terminal base. In addition, the self-service checkout terminal includes an item collection surface for supporting the item for purchase subsequent to scanning thereof. The item collection surface is secured to the terminal base. Moreover the self-service checkout terminal includes a belt assembly for transporting the item for purchase in a direction toward the item collection surface. The belt assembly is (i) interposed between the user side of the terminal base and the rear side of the terminal base, and (ii) interposed between the scanner and the item collection surface.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-service checkout terminal. The self-service checkout terminal includes a terminal base having (i) a user side on which a user is positioned during operation of the self-service checkout terminal, and (ii) a rear side which is opposite the user side. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a scanner for scanning a product code associated with an item for purchase. The scanner has a first scanning window which is disposed in a substantially horizontal orientation and a second scanning window which is disposed in a substantially vertical orientation. The second scanning window faces the user side of the terminal base. The self-service checkout terminal also includes a payment device for allowing the user to tender payment for the item for purchase. The payment device is positioned in contact with the terminal base so as to face the user side of the terminal base. Moreover, the self-service checkout terminal also includes an item collection surface for supporting the item for purchase subsequent to scanning thereof. The item collection surface is secured to the terminal base. Yet further, the self-service checkout terminal includes a belt assembly for transporting the item for purchase in a direction toward the item collection surface. The belt assembly is (i) interposed between the user side of the terminal base and the rear side of the terminal base, and (ii) interposed between the scanner and the item collection surface.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful self-service checkout terminal.
It is moreover an object of the present invention to provide an improved self-service checkout terminal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and useful method of operating a self-service checkout terminal.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of operating a self-service checkout terminal.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a self-service checkout terminal which allows the customer to checkout a relatively large item order without intervention from retail personnel.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a self-service checkout terminal which allows the customer to checkout relatively large item orders and tender payment for such a large item order without intervention from retail personnel.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the attached drawings.